My brother's lung cancer has metestasized - Cancer: Lung Message Board

julie99 · 10-06-2007, 04:57 PM

I wrote before about the doctors finally finding out my brother's lung cancer had metestasized.
Evidently it had started before the right lobe was taken out. Is that right? Wouldn't it have to have started before his lobe was taken out, or could it have been in the blood just waiting to attack something else?

His doctor that operated on the lung said it was a good kind of cancer to have and that it wouldn't spread or anything. He did not do any radiation or anything-No chemo.
Now, it is 9 months later and he has a 3 inch tumor near his spine. They are doing radiation and were going to do chemo. His blood calcium went up real high and they had to give him medication for that.

He has been in bad pain since about 3 months after his surgery. When he went back to his doctor, he talked like my brother was pretending to get out of work. He told him to go to a pain clinic.
At the pain clinic they gave him medication and x-rayed his back. They said that his ribs were broken. Now they are saying the cancer had eaten through the bone. My brother showed them a large lump on his back and they said it wasn't anything.

Nobody gave his a cat-scan or anything.

Now they are saying he's not going to make it.
They are sending hospice nurses out to help him.
He is still taking radiation, but for the first two weeks, it burned his throat and he could not eat anything.
He's so little now, he has no strength at all, can hardly walk.

Anyway, after all this, if anyone has lung cancer and then starts having pain somewhere else or any symptoms, stay on top of it and make your doctor do something!!!
Don't let them tell you it's nothing!

Maybe it wouldn't save his life, but he would not have endured so much pain for so many months.
Hindsight is always 20/20.

SherryAnne · 10-07-2007, 07:20 PM

Hi Julie. I am really sorry to hear about your brothers lung cancer. My mom was diagnosed with extensive small cell lung cancer in Dec. 06. At best, they are giving her to the end of the year. But I know exactly what you mean about these doctors. My mom kept going to the doctors with all the symptons of cancer but he kept telling her there is nothing wrong with her.
About eight months after her symptoms had started, her back hurt so bad he
finally sent her for an MRI. It just so happened that a day after the test, she dehydrated so badly we had to take her to the ER. So I took her MRI with me and gave it to the ER. About 12 hours later a doctor was telling me
she had lung cancer and didn't have long to live. I found out that you really have to be persistent with all of these doctors today. Doctors just think people are dumb, but I believe everyone knows their own body the best and that the doctors should actually LISTEN to their patients. I could actually tell you story after story of things
of this nature that have already happened to me during the years from when my daughter was born 21 years ago with heart disease (and has had two open heart surgeries) to my mother getting her leg amputated, my father who passed away with acute myleoid lukemia, and now mom again with lung cancer. I urge you to stay on top of everything. I did a lot of research on the internet. And after taking care of my mom for so many years, I know how her body reacts to things and how to deal with most of them. I am struggling with the cancer ordeal though. Anyway, hang in their and my prayers are with you and your brother. I hope things get better for you.